Chapter 8: Blazing Winds

One year.

It's been one year since I joined Fairy Tail, and quite honestly? Things couldn't have been going better! I've got magic, I've got friends, my place, and adventures right around the corner! What more could a guy want? Of course, some troubles needed to be taken care of, but those won't happen for years from now. One step at a time. For now... I'll enjoy everything for what it was worth.

I exhaled softly at the feeling of hot water hitting my skin. He ran a hand through my damp hair and cut off the water. Grabbing a towel, I stepped out of the shower and began drying myself off. I paused when I saw my reflection in the mirror. I blinked, squinting at myself in the mirror and humming.

"... Was I always this buff?" I muttered, bemused.

It wasn't anything too ridiculous. After all, I was only 13, after all. Turned 13 on March 2nd. I was considerably bulky and built for my age, though. My brain drew the connection to Deku's physique after his 9 month training with All Might. Not overly muscular, but still had defined bulk while maintaining a lean build. Then again, that's what a year of training does to a person. I'd been putting in the work to get stronger.

In that timeframe, I'd gotten a strong grasp on my fighting style, got some new weapons, pretty much mastered Wind Magic, and most of all, we got some new arrivals! Levy, Jet, and Droy ended up joining the guild. Admittedly, I don't know when they joined up in canon, but it was a pleasant surprise.

The welcome party was awesome, if a little chaotic.

I chuckled softly, throwing on a black and blue tracksuit and a pair of sneakers. I was about to go on my daily 10km run when I heard a knock on my door. I blinked, running through the living room and opening the door. "Yo? - oh, Erza!"

"Taruko." Erza smiled, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. She looked a lot like her canon self now. At least when she was a kid. Her hair had gotten longer and had been tied into a braid that fell over her back, courtesy of Eliana. "Can I come in?"

"No need to ask." I smiled and stepped aside to let her in. I closed the door once she stepped inside and made my way into the kitchen. "Want anything? I can whip up some tea real quick... I've got juice in the fridge, too."

"Water is okay," Erza said politely, taking a seat on the couch. I nodded, opened the fridge, took out a cold bottle of water, and tossed it to her. She caught it swiftly and nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

"No problem!" I grunted, performing a series of stretches. "Gotta be a good host, don't I?"

"Sure..." Erza smiled, sipping her water. She cocked her head to the left. "Were you about to go on one of your jogs?"

"Yep. Wanna join me?"

Erza paused. Then she stood up and closed her eyes. The redhead was engulfed in a shroud of blinding light, and when it dimmed, she had on a dark red tracksuit with white trim. She placed a hand on her hip and shrugged, smiling all coy-like. "Sure, why not?"

I clicked my tongue. "Showoff."

In a year, Erza's mastery over Requip had grown by leaps and bounds. She finally grasped the concept of The Knight, though she's only got one armor in her arsenal right now. I knew she had monstrous potential, but when she applied herself, she did grow strong fast. No wonder she became S-Class at such a young age. I subconsciously clenched my fists, a fire igniting in my chest.

I refuse to fall behind.

I put on a cheeky grin and made my way to the door. "Well, let's get going, yeah?"

I squawked when she blurred past me and out of the complex. Cheeky little brat thought she could get the leg up on me? She can think twice about that!

I slammed the door shut and dashed after her. It didn't take long for me to catch up, and soon enough we were running side by side through Magnolia. The run was relatively quiet and serene until Erza broke the silence.

"Do you plan on going on a job today?" Erza asked me as ran through Magnolia's streets at a leisurely pace.

"Nah. Think I'll just kick back for the day. It's been non-stop job hunting for the past year." I laughed, scratching the back of my head. "It's about time I take a break."

Erza smiled in amusement. "You? Take a break? I never thought I'd see the day."

I pouted. "Hey. I can relax."

Erza averted her gaze. "... Well, you always seem to be in a rush to train and grow stronger. Like there's a sense of urgency. Sometimes you train to the point of passing out from exhaustion."

I paused, slowing to a crawl as I processed Erza's words. Was that really how it looked like? Did everyone think that way or was it just Erza? No... there was no way. Everyone was obsessed with getting stronger. We existed in a shonen universe after all. There's nothing weird about what I was doing, right? It's not like she's wrong, either. There IS some urgency. I need to get stronger. A total of seven years was all I had before canon started, and things down spiral.

I need to be ready. I HAVE to be ready. Or else...

"Taruko?"

I flinched, snapping out of my thoughts and looking Erza in the eyes. She stared at me with visible concern. She shifted on her feet awkwardly and patted my arm. "... If something is wrong, you can tell me."

Tell her? Tell her what? About the pressure I feel over the threats that will arrive in the oncoming years? Sure, they were years away, but that doesn't mean they WON'T happen. My presence here changes nothing in that aspect. Not when I'm sitting around playing swordsman. What could I tell her? About Jellal? About Acnologia? E.N.D? Zeref? Irene?

No. There was nothing I could tell her. Nothing I could tell anyone.

It wouldn't make sense. Nothing about my existence made any sense. Nobody would understand. Nobody could understand.

I smiled thinly, laughing after an uncomfortable amount of silence. "Nothing's wrong, Erza! You worry way too much!"

"... Taruko-"

"I'm fine." I forced the words out harsher than I cared to admit. Erza blinked in surprise and frowned, her brows creasing tightly. I backpedaled, raising my hands in surrender and smiling a bit more earnestly. "Sorry... I didn't mean to come off that way. Really. I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

Erza narrowed her eyes at me for what felt like hours before finally sighing and letting it go. "Okay."

She turned around and continued her jog towards the guild. I stared at the redhead's retreating form and sighed tiredly, running a hand down my face. "I screwed the pooch on that one..."

I ran after her with a frown. I'd figure out a way to make it up to her somehow. I didn't mean to come off the way I did... and I wish I could tell her, but I couldn't. Not only would it be hard to believe, but it would put me in a suspicious situation. The best I can do is steer everyone in the right direction with little nudges like I've been doing since I arrived in this world so that when we inevitably had to face the threats ahead, they'd be ready.

They would have been well off on their own without me, as much as that hurt to admit, I couldn't take any chances.

We ran in silence. Erza didn't spare so much as a glance. I chewed the inside of my cheek and glanced at her. "Erza..."

She flashed me a look, and I paused, shifting my gaze toward the road. "Do you want to-"

CRASH!!!

"GUWAGHK-"

We jolted and grinded to a halt, jumping out of the way as Gray's body burst through the doorway and crashed into a fruit stall across the street. The vendor let out an anguished wail as he tried to save his trashed merchandise. I blinked in shock as Gray growled and rubbed at his smoking chest. "Bastard!"

"Gray!" Erza squawked. "What happened?!"

"Stay outta this!" the Ice Wizard snapped before charging back into the guild. The sound of fighting and alarmed screams were deafening to the ears.

A vein throbbed against Erza's temple. "Huh?!"

I sweat-dropped, patting the redhead on the shoulder and walking inside. "Let's just see what's going on."

Immediately we ducked out of sheer instinct as a table flew over head. I blinked in surprise, looking around as gousts of flame and shards of ice exploded through the air. I spotted Levy and Cana cowering in the corner. Jet and Droy were knocked out cold. I jogged over to them with a frown. "Levy! Cana! What the hell is happening?!"

"M-Master Makarov brought a new kid to the guild before going off to a meeting..." Levy squeaked as a beer mug soared past her head. "Everything was going well, but then Gray and him started exchanging words..."

"Now they started fighting." Cana sighed. "And then this happened."

Erza frowned. "Those idiots are trashing the guild..."

My brows furrowed. New kid? Makarov brought a new kid to the guild? Who could-

Oh.

Oh, that makes so much more sense. I completely forgot it's X777... that means the Dragon Slayers have arrived through the Eclipse Gate.

"STUPID PYROMANIAC!"

"DAMN ICICLE PERVERT!"

"ASH BREATH!"

"STRIPPER!"

Mm. Yep. Natsu's here.

The signature pink hair was what gave it away, as he threw a fire-clad punch at Gray's face. Likewise, Gray through an ice-coated jab at Natsu's jaw. The collision sent both boys flying across the guildhall. They crashed into several tables, kicking up splinters, food, and alcohol. Macao and Wakaba let out wails of dismay as they tried to catch their fallen drinks. The two boys slowly sat up and groaned, rubbing at their growing bruises.

"You hit like a chump." Gray grunted, standing up to his feet. "My grandma hits harder than that!"

"The hell did you say?!" Natsu barked, shooting up to his feet and wreathing his hands in fire. "Say that to my face, frosty!"

Gray stormed up to the pinkette, clashing his forehead against Natsu's with a scowl. A clash of heat and cold emanated from their bodies as they glared into the other's eyes. "I said you hit like a wimp! What're you gonna do about it, punk?!"

I blinked as Erza suddenly appeared between the two, grabbing both boys by the head and forcing them apart with enough strength to crack their necks. Everyone winced as they squeaked in pain and collapsed to the floor. Erza scowled, placing her hands on her hips. "You idiots need to cut it out, now! You've caused enough damage to the guild as is!"

Natsu recovered quick enough, snarling at Erza. "Oh yeah?! Who asked you, tincan!"

A vein appeared on Erza's forehead as she craned her head in Natsu's direction. A malicious aura enveloped her body as she clenched a tight fist. "What was that?"

I sighed, walking over and throwing an arm around Erza's shoulder, earning a squeak from the redhead. "Okay, okay... let's all relax." I eyed Natsu. "Looks like we got off on the wrong foot. My name's Taruko... the redhead here is Erza," I jabbed a thumb in Gray's direction. "The guy you were fighting with is Gray."

I pointed off to the right, where Cana and Levy could be seen poking their heads out from behind the bar counter. "Over there is Cana and Levy... and the guys you knocked out were Jet and Droy."

I smiled at Natsu, offering him a hand. "What's your name?"

Natsu blinked, eyeing my hand with a squint before slowly taking it. I pulled him up to his feet with grunt. "... I'm Natsu."

I grinned. "Nice to meet you! Welcome to Fairy Tail. I've got a feeling you'll fit in just fine."

Natsu paused, smiling slightly. "... thanks!"

"No problem." I let out a small sigh of relief, glad to have deescalated the situation before it got even more chaotic. "So... why were you two fighting in the first place?"

Natsu and Gray exchanged a glare, speaking in unison. "He looked at me funny."

. . .

The entire guild screamed. "HUUUUUUUUUUUUH?!"

I snorted. Of course.

Erza rubbed the bridge of her nose. "That is still no excuse to trash the guild like that... how are we going to explain this to Master Makarov?"

Everything went silent after that, and I removed my arm from Erza's neck. I looked around, parking my hands on my hips and humming. "... Well. He's at a meeting, right? So he should be back in a few hours..."

I clapped my hands together. "What's say we all pitch in and clean up before the Old Man comes back?"

I heard Macao grumble. "We weren't even the ones that wrecked the place..."

Eliana emerged from the supply closet, smiling thinly and shoving a broom into the man's hand. "Well it should be up to you adults to set an example for the younger members, hm? So get to cleaning."

Wakaba laughed. "She got you there, Macao - OW!" he yelped when Eliana bonked himself upside the head with another broom, shoving it into his hands along with a bucket. "What the hell, Eliana!"

A fiery aura encompassed the woman, regarding the smoker with sharp eyes. "You aren't exempt from this either. Get to it!" she glared at the rest of the guild. "That goes for all of you! Grab supplies from the supply closet and get to work! Unless you want to deal with a cranky Makarov when he gets back?"

That spurred everyone into action as they rushed into the closet all at once, screaming and hollering, pushing and shoving. It was even more chaotic than the fight that had transpired a few minutes ago. But I had to say, it certainly motivated everyone. Although I had the feeling that they were less scared of what Makarov would do if he found out, and more scared of what Eliana would do to them if they didn't help clean up.

"Laxus! Where do you think you're going?"

I perked up when I heard Eliana call out to Laxus, turning to see the blonde stalking out of the guild with his hands rested in his pockets. The Lightning Mage paused in his steps and looked at Eliana from over his shoulders. He looked disinterested... maybe irritated? "I've got a job to finish, so I'm heading out. I don't have time for this. Besides. I'm not the one who trashed the guild, so it's not my problem."

"Laxus-" Eliana sighed when he left without another word, rubbing at her temples. "Geez, that boy... his attitude just gets worse and worse."

"Probably just puberty." Macao quipped in the background, earning a few chuckles from the rest of the guild members.

I frowned, eyeing the doorway. Laxus... it looks like he's gradually going down that path. By this point Makarov had already exiled Ivan from the guild. That was the start of Laxus' descent into madness, as dramatic as that sounds. Sure, Laxus eventually comes around, but still...

Note to self. Figure out a way to prevent Laxus from going full blown villain mode. I could prevent what happens during the Fantasia Parade if I do. Here's to hoping.

"Hm?" I blinked as a broom handle was shoved in my face. I perked up to see Erza offering me one.

"We should help out too." she muttered, glancing at me past her bangs. "Don't want to earn Eliana's ire, right?"

I snickered, grabbing the broom and smiling. "Yeah. One sec, though. Yo, Natsu!" I turned to the pinkette, who looked around cluelessly before perking up at me. I smirked. "If you clean up more than the other members, I'll fight you."

Natsu blinked. Then a broad grin stretched across his face and he suddenly snatched a broom out Gray's hand, earning an indignant squawk from him. "HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU-"

Cana put the Ice Mage in a chokehold, holding him back. "No way. None of that. You wanna send the guild crumbing down on us?!"

Erza sighed. "Was that necessary?"

I shrugged, watching Natsu blur around the guild with excited laughter. "Eh. It motivated him to pitch in. 'Sides, I wanna see how strong he is."

Erza hummed. "I suppose what you say holds merit."

"Yup! Now let's get to cleanin'!"

X-X-X-X-X-X

"You sure you want to do this?" Cana asked me as we walked through the woods. With the guild's combined effort we managed to clean up the damage caused by Gray and Natsu's little spat in record time. Natsu did most of the work, as surprising as that sounded. Though to be fair, he was a battle junkie, and was always striving to get stronger. So I shouldn't have been surprised. He was quick to challenge me after that, and I didn't back out on my word. So I was leading him to my usual training spot on the outskirts of Magnolia.

Erza, Cana, Gray, and Team Shadowgear decided to tag along to see the fight play out. The aforementioned Card Mage pouted at me. "I mean, what if you rough him up bad?"

"Hey!"

"I think you're underestimating Natsu. He was sending Gray flying, so he's gotta be strong." I huffed out a laugh.

"HEY!"

Gray glowered at me before crossing his arms. "He got some lucky shots in. In any case, there's no way this freshie is beating Taruko."

Natsu glared at Gray. "Say that to my face, Squinty Eyes!"

Gray glared back. "I'm SAYIN' you got no chance, Salmon Face!"

Erza's brow twitched. "Both of you, can it."

"I'd listen to her, unless you wanna end up with your head six feet in the dirt." Levy laughed nervously.

"Speaking from experience!" Jet and Droy droned on in unison.

Gray and Natsu grumbled to themselves and I chuckled, a grin blooming across my face. "We're here!"

In the center of Magnolia Forest was a massive open clearing with lush green grass, various massive boulders and looking trees, and a nearby waterfall. I inhaled through my nose with a smile, sighing in satisfaction. I never got tired of seeing this place, even when I've been training here for over a year. It just had a calming atmosphere I couldn't get enough of. When I came here, I felt at peace. Like nothing in the world could weigh me down.

"ALRIGHT! Now it's time to fight!" Natsu beamed, igniting his fists in flame. "C'mon Taruko! Put them dukes up!"

"Alright, alright. Settle down." I smiled, rolling my shoulders and walking into the center of the field. "Yo, Cana! Count us down?"

"You got it, boss!" Cana quipped. "Alright, boys. I want a clean fight! No blows below the waist-" I snorted, coughing into my fist and averting my gaze when Cana shot me a look. "-and no underhanded moves! Most importantly, have fun!"

She raised her hand into the air. "3!"

Natsu entered a standard boxing stance. I could see some glaring openings but overall, he had a solid foundation going.

"2!"

I cracked my knuckles and rolled my shoulders, grinning in anticipation.

"1! FIGHT!"

"LET'S GO! FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" Natsu rocketed forward. He was surprisingly fast, but it wasn't anything I could track. He threw a telegraphed punch my way. I weaved out of the way, sticking my foot out and tripping the pinkette. As he yelped and tumbled to the ground, I slammed my knee into his chin and sent him sprawling. "Guh-!"

Levy frowned. "Why isn't Taruko using his sword? Isn't he a swordsman?"

"Oh, yeah... you wouldn't know since none of you guys ever fought him, huh?" Gray scratched the bottom of chin, humming.

Shadowgear cocked their heads to the side in unison, blinking. "Hah?"

"It's a way of gauging strength for him." Erza informed, her eyes focused intently on the match. "Whenever Taruko fights someone new, he focuses on hand-to-hand. He excels at swordsmanship, but most of the techniques he uses are either highly destructive or in some cases lethal." the trio paled at that, shuddering. "So if his opponent proves to be strong enough, he raises his sword against them."

"In other words, he isn't taking things seriously yet." Cana piped in, sitting down next to Gray.

Natsu coughed, rubbing his chest gingerly and crawling to his feet. "Y-You hit pretty hard..." he flashed his canines at me in a feral smile. Even from far away, I could feel the heat radiating off his body. "But that just means I have 'ta hit harder!"

I smiled. "Bring it on."

Natsu charged at me with a roar, lunging forward and lashing out with a flurry of punches. I blocked and weaved through them with ease, tensing at the powerful blows. Even though he fought with little to no technique, he was still powerful, able to make up for his lack of skill with sheer brute force alone. I should have expected nothing less from the son of Igneel.

I swatted his fist to the side as he came in for a right hook, throwing him off balance. I pounced, lashing out with a heavy straight. Natsu instinctively ducked out of the way by a hair, and shot upwards, brutally bashing his skull against my chin in a fearsome headbutt. My brain rattled in my skull and my teeth clenched tightly in pain as my body slid back from the force of the blow. Shit! He has a hard head.

"Fire Dragon's..." I swiveled around to witness Natsu taking in a deep breath. I flipped out of the way as he unleashed a powerful blast of fire from his mouth, digging smoldering grooves into the ground. "ROAAAR!!!"

"HE CAN BREATHE FIRE?!" I heard everyone exclaim in shock, but I ignored them. I rushed forward and leaped towards Natsu, throwing my leg out into a flying roundhouse kick. The pinkette blocked the attack before grabbing my ankle, swinging me around, and launching me at the nearest tree. "HRAH!!"

I flipped through the air, nimbly landed on the base of the trunk and using it as a springboard to launch myself into the air as Natsu charged at me and threw a flaming punch. The tree exploded from the impact as he let out a noise of surprise. I landed behind him, lunging at his exposed back and channeling wind into my palm before driving it into his back. Natsu let out a cry of pain as a powerful shockwave of air rippled through his body and sent him flying into the woods. "Gale Force Palm!"

I lowered my fist and eyed the trail of destruction left in Natsu's wake as he crashed through several trees. I paused at the silence, before an enraged roar echoed through the forest and a stream of fire flew straight at me! I blinked in surprise at the speed of which the fire traveled and was left with no choice to block. Immediately I backpedaled, grunting at the scorching heat of the flames burning through my clothes and cooking my arms.

I jumped to the side and let the flames explode against a tree, eyeing my inflamed skin, I whistled. "Jovah's flames just can't compete with a dragon's fire..."

"Fire Dragon's CLAW!" I looked up, pausing in surprise to see Natsu descended from the skies with a downward axe-kick wreathed in fire. I jumped back as he crashed into the ground and kicked up a cloud of smoke. He emerged from the smoke and charged at me with another punch. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

I met his attack head on, holding a hand out and channeling the air around me, fueling it with condensed Ethernano until it formed into a spinning ball of glowing wind. I blasted forward and thrusted my hand out, both our attacks clashing in a thunderous explosion that tore away at the very earth beneath our feet. "Rasengan!"

*BOOOOOM!!!

My attack proved stronger. Natsu screamed as he was launched back by the explosive force of my spell, but he was quick to flip through the air and dig his fingers into the dirt to bleed out his momentum and grind himself to a stop. I shook my hand as an aching feeling pulsed through it, grinning sheepishly. "Not bad."

God, that was so cool! I had to restrain the urge to squeal and bounce around like a schoolgirl. I've always wanted to do a Rasengan ever since I was younger, and now I finally could! Awesome~

I wonder if Naruto would be proud... or maybe he'd be mad at me for stealing his move.

Even though his dad created it.

"Man... your Wind Magic is crazy strong..." Natsu mused, staring at me with wide eyes as an excited grin stretched across his cheeks. "It's getting me fired up!"

"Thanks! But that's not all I can do." I mirrored his expression, patting the pommel of my sword. "I've got loads of other techniques under my belt, but I'm sticking with hand-to-hand today. But man... I knew Dragon Slayer Magic was strong, but going against it in person and reading about it is two completely different things."

Natsu stilled, his eyes widening further as he stood up straighter. "... you know about my magic? Does that mean you know where Igneel is?!"

I flinched, blinking quizzically before restraining the urge to palm my face. Shit, I said that out loud... I forgot that Slayer Magic was a Lost Magic that not many people knew about. Especially Dragon Slayer Magic. It was ironic, considering the amount of Dragon Slayers we see throughout the series, but it doesn't deny the fact that it's considered a lost art to the present era. Gotta think of a quick cover up...

I scratched my cheek sheepishly. "Heh... I dunno who Igneel is, man. But I've read about Lost Magic somewhere before. And Dragon Slayer Magic just so happened to be one of things I read. I'm surprised someone even knows about it, considering it's a Lost Magic."

Nailed it.

Natsu's brows creased and he frowned in disappointment. "Oh..." my heart twisted uncomfortably. I didn't want to make the guy sad. Nor did I want to lie to anyone. I did know where Igneel was, but there how exactly do I tell someone their dad is inside of them?

... Wait-

"Nah! Forget it. Doesn't matter now! We're fighting!" Natsu snapped me out of my brief lapse of horror and disgust as he ignited his fists again. "Here I come!"

Clashing his fists together, an ancient magic circle came to life around Natsu. Wisps of fire swirled around his body as he rocketed towards me with a roar, streams of fire cracking through the air like whips as he swung them down upon me. "FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!!"

I clicked my tongue and moved to dodge. The tendrils of flame cracked against the ground and kicked up a plume of dust. Flames licked my skin and I grimaced in discomfort, coughing as I swiped away at the dust that surrounded me. "I got you!" my ears perked up at the sound of Natsu's voice. Behind me...!

*BAM!!

I cried out as his legs slammed into my back and sent me flying across the field. I crashed against the ground and bounced off the grass, twirling through the air and slamming my feet into the ground to root myself in place. I looked up as Natsu came down at me with a valiant roar, throwing a blazing punch at my face. I swerved to the size, my face becoming pinched as his fist grazing my cheek and burned at my skin. I used Reinforcement on my fist and encased it in a shroud of rotating air before slamming it into Natsu's stomach. "Whirlwind Fist!"

"GUWAHGH-!" Natsu gagged, his eyes shrinking in pain as his body was sent hurtling through the air like a ragdoll. I charged after him, boosting myself forward at high speeds with the use of Reinforcement on my legs. I closed the distance between myself and Natsu in seconds, swinging my leg upwards and kicking him into the air, "GAH!!"

I leaped after him, forming a ball of wind in my palms and channeling more Ethernano into it. The ball began to expand in size and glow brighter as I pumped more magic power into it. Natsu's eyes widened in shock as he hastily raised his arms to put up some form of defense as I brought down the massive wind sphere upon him. "ŌDAMA RASENGAN!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

"GAAAAAHAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Vicious shockwaves tore through the air as the Ōdama Rasengan collided with Natsu's body, erupting in a brilliant, flashy explosion that sent the Dragon Slayer crashing into the ground with an even bigger explosion. I landed on my feet and stumbled, taking in a sharp breath as I clenched my fist experimentally and tried to shake off the numbing feeling. Yeah... still needed to work on those moves.

I turned to the crater Natsu was currently lying in. Walking towards the edge, I could see the boy struggling to stand. The red shirt he had been wearing previously was pretty much torn to shreds... his pants had various tears, but was otherwise fine. The only thing left unscathed was his scarf. Natsu grit his teeth, slowly glaring up at me and panting. "I... can keep going! I ain't finished yet!"

I slid down the crater and walked towards Natsu. The pinkette groaned and his knees buckled, but I caught him before he hit the ground. Helping Natsu stand to his feet, I smiled at him. "It's obvious you can't... let me help you, okay?"

Natsu pouted, groaning. "Man... does this mean I lost?"

"Yep." I popped, smiling. "But losing isn't a bad thing. That just means you can learn something from the experience... and then you'll get stronger from it. So long as you're here in Fairy Tail, you'll continue to get stronger."

Natsu stared at me in surprise, and I grinned, closing my eyes. "And I'll gladly fight you anytime!"

Natsu blinked slowly as a wide, fanged smile began to bloom. "Yeah!"

"HOW IS THAT NOT TAKING THINGS SERIOUSLY?!" I heard Team Shadowgear screamed incredulously as we made our way out of the crater. The trio stared at us, or more importantly me, in shock. With their jaws quite literally hitting the floor.

"That's normal stuff. You'll get used to it." Gray shrugged his shoulders lazily.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT'S NORMAL!"

Cana palmed her face. "Gray, your clothes..."

"Aw, crap!"

I laughed sheepishly and paused as Erza approached us. "You both fought excellently." a small smile graced her face as she turned to Natsu. "Especially you, Natsu. You surprised me today. Your magic intrigues me... I've never seen Fire Magic quite like yours before, and you held your own very well. I look forward to being your guildmate." she offered her hand to him, her smile growing a fraction bigger. "And... I wouldn't mind sparring with you on occasion, if you're okay with that?"

Natsu blinked in surprise, staring at Erza's hand in stunned silence. The pinkettw slowly reached out and clasped his hand around hers, shaking it as a broad grin returned to his face. "Hehe! You've got yourself a deal, Elsa!"

Erza flinched, a vein throbbing against her forehead as she tightened her grip around Natsu's hand hard enough to hear his bones creak. "It's Erza."

"OW! OW - OKAY! I GET IT, LEMME GO! I'M ALREADY HURT!"

I snickered under my breath, shaking my head as everyone began to talk on our way back to the guild, with me having to make sure Erza didn't inflict anymore devastating injuries onto Natsu. I smiled softly at the smiles on everyone's faces, my eyes drifting towards the setting sun, which made me pause in surprise.

Huh. I didn't know we'd been out here for so long...

I shrugged to myself, humming. Ah, well... that's okay with me.

I personally don't mind the sunset. Not one bit.

A/N.

The 100 Years Quest anime has been comfirmed for July 2024! So I just had to lock in and deliver a chapter for y'all.

We're here in X777! So a bit of a time jump, but nothing too substantial. Natsu's here now, and soon the other guildmates will follow! I'm looking forward to that~

Anyway. I'll see you guys next time!